Pneumatically actuated pumping system



Nov. 28, 1933. c, A. BUTLER PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED PUMPING SYSTEM FiledMarch v'31, 1932 2 Sheets-SheetI l Matar.' Cha/rk.; 0W. Butler,

Mya'.

Nov. 28, 1933. c. A. BUTLER 1,937,423

FNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED PUMPING SYSTEM Filed March 3l. 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 619 g Lea I0 I Zl se wa I F\ J6 I /19 /I Inl/emr: Jaarzwduzzer,

i S/O M7@ 87 //,ae

Mya.

Patented Nov. 28, 1933 YPNEUMATHMLLY Ao'rUA'rEn PUMPIN SYSTEM CharlesA.' Butler, Okmulgee, Okla.A Application' vv/Marchl, 1932. Serial No.v.602,349 12 Claims. (Cl. 10S-246) This invention relates toimprovements in systems for pneumatic pumping, and is more particularlydirected to such systems as may be emv ployed for pumpingliquidsvfromgreat depths,

5 as from oilwells and the like, as fdescribed in my copendingapplications Serial No. 401,788, iiled October'23, '1929 andSerial No.602,348 led March 3l, 1932. l c Y A feature ofthe present invention isthe prol vision of means whereby a greater eiective pneumatic pressureis employed upon the valvev actuating devices than is employed in thepumping l 1 f into'a branch connection piece 116 (Figs. 2 and' cylinderitself.

Another feature of the present invention is l5. the provision of .means-for reducing the Hback .pressure against ythe exhaust of air from thepumpingcylinder.v 'c l .A further-feature of the invention is the pro.

vision of similar'y means for reducing the back 20V pressure upon theexhaust from the control valve actuator when thelevel of liquid inthe'well is` y which are respectively threaded to the upper above theparticular cylinder. Y

Other features of the' invention reside in particular constructicnsofthe parts, and such as1 appear in the following specifications andclaims.

An illustrativeA form of embodimentl of the invention is set -forth onthe accompanying drawings, in which: Y

Figure l is a View, substantially in vertical'V axial section of a wellpipe, showing the connec tion ci a plurality of pumping units. Y Fig. 2is a vertical section through the upper end of one of the unitssubstantially on line 2 -2 of Fig. Gand including also the 4exhaust pipecon. nections thereto.v w Y Fig. Bis a verticaldiametral section,substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. .6, showing the portion of the unitjust below that shown in Fig. 2.' Fig. 3a is a detail view, in section,of the actuating piston and cylinder and its valve. 'Y Fig.,4 is asimilarview, showing the portion just beneath that shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 isfa'side elevation, on the scale of Fig.

2, showing the ascending pipe connections from:

5 each unit. l

'.Eg. 6 is a top plan view of an upper closing plug, showing thelocation ofthe apertures forA the several pipe connections. Y

In this illustrated form of the inventionthe .3 well casing C is of theusual type and is located in the well hole in the usual manner, yand isprovided above the ground with a casing head H.

An air pressure line l0 isv provided,` whichY passes from theground'downwardly to the last pumping unit. In Fig.. 1, two pumpingunits P,

'easily dismounted for inspectionand repain/ end of the sleeve 30, it isthreadedly engaged with Vthrough an intermediatepurnping unit, andisprovided above each unit with a branch connec-v 6 5,

tion for delivering air to each unit. For this purpose, the sections ofpipe, 10 are threaded 5) which has a lateral passage leading into 'achamber through which passes a tube 13, which 7g at its lower endisthreaded into av valve housing 125, and the latter in turn is threadedinto the upper headV 18 of the pumping unit." The" pumping `unitincludes the casing 19 which is threaded at top and bottom and isprovided withl an upper coupling 20 and ak lower coupling 21 closingrplug 18 and the lower closing. plug 22 whereby the parts of the pumpingunit may bey The upper closing plug 18 isprovided'with a passage 26through which air may be exhausted from a particular unit while it isbeing filled with oil., This plug 18 also has a connection for theoildelivery pipe 2'7 leading to the next upper unit or tothe outlet pipe11. Brackets 28 are pro-` vided from point to point to support the pipes10 and 27 and the exhaust pipes 59a `and 26a.

`Threaded inthe lower end of the exhaust appaA erture 26 is a slottedvalve sleeve or cage meme' ber 30 having a sliding plunger 3l therein,at the upper end ofv which is mounted an exhaust clos-V ing valve 32adapted to seat itself against the,Y

valve seat flange 33 ofthe sleeve 30. At the lower` the casing 34 of thepiston valve-controlling f Ymechanism. This-casing provides acylinder35Y inwhich may reciprocaterthe piston''which has a piston rod37 connected by a pvot 38 to a lever 39 having a rounded head 40 servingas a pivot for supportA ina lateral cavity of the support arm` 41 whichin turn is supported in the lower end of the inlet valve casing'or cage43.` This inlet valve casingv 43y likewise contains an inlet valveplunger 44which has mounted at its upper end the inlet valve 45 whichisadapted'to be seated against the `valve seat ange 46 of the casing 4 3.The lower end of the cylinder 35 is vclosed by a plug 47 nhaving apacking 48 and a gland nut 49 to seal the piston rod 37.` `Inthe 11nupper portion of the casing 34 is provided a bore hole 50 in which isrockably seated the valve body 51 having an externally projecting stem51a upon which is mounted the levery 52 having a downwardly projectingarm 52a. This lever arm 52a is connected by a pivot 100 to a swinginglink 101 which is guided at its lower end in an aperture in `shelf 102rigid with the casing 34. A spring 103 surrounds the link 101. Stop pins104 are provided on casing 34 to limit the oscillating movement of thelever 52, 52a. The lever 52 is joined by the link 53 to the straps 53awhich support the pivot 54a of the lever 54. The oscillat-y ing valvebody 51 moves opposite the valve ports 55, 56, 57 in the casing 34, sothat a cavity 58 in the bottom of the valve body 51 may alternatelyestablish communication between the port 55 and the port 57 with thecentral port 56, which is connected by a conduit 59 with a passage 135in the upper head 18, a suitable gland 136 being provided to assuretightness. n Above the head 18 an extension pipe 59a is carried to apoint, say 100 feet, above the plug 18 and is provided, at its upperend, with a valve housing 137m having therein a valve 137 which may beopened by exhausting air moving upwardly in pipe 590 and which closeswhen the air pressure within and without the pipe 59a are substantiallybalanced. Thus, the discharge of air from the central 'port 56 throughconduits 59, 59a isindependent of the position of valve 33. At the sametime that the valve body 51 by its cavity 58 establishes communicationbetween the outlet port 56 and either pipe 61 is packed in the nipplepiece 130 by a suitable gland 131: glands 133, 134 are provided at theupper and lower surfaces of the plug 18 to prevent leakage through theplug along the passage 132 surrounding the tube 61.

The lever 39 has a pivot 63 by which it is connected to the pull rod 65having a pivot connection 66 at its upper end to the operator member 67whose ends project through slots to the inlet and outlet valve casings43 and 30 andare received in the cavities of the respective inlet andoutlet valve plungers 44 and'3l. The lever 54 is pivotally connected toand supported by a rod 68 which is threaded into the upper closing plug18. The free end of the lever 54 projects over the float 71. The straps53a are connected by a link 53h to the lower operating lever 69 whichis,

mounted by a pivot 70 on a rod 72 supported on a `lower stirrup 73 whichconnects the pipe 78 with a pipe 10 within the casing 19. The end ofYlever 69 extends beneath the bucket 74which is located within a shield75 having an aperture 76. at the lower end thereof and being supportedby.

Y shows the provision of a bracket 81 for supportingz a bottom stop 81aupon which the noat 71 mayV rest, whenlin its lowermost position.

At the lowerend of the outlet or discharge conduit 78 is mounted a valvechamber 83v having a valve seat 84 thereon to receive the valve 85 whichis guided by valve supports 86 which engage the stem of this valve. Thelower end of the valve casing 83 is open to the interior of the casing19 of this pump unit.

The air pressure line 10 is passed through the packed aperture 87 in thelower closing plug 22. The lower closing plug 22 is likewise providedwith an aperture 90 into the lower end of which is threaded the liquidpipe which, it will be understood, corresponds either'to the sectionstrainer 12 or the delivery line 27 in Figure 1, accordingly as the unitis located at the bottom or an intermediate point along the casing C. Abushing 92 is threaded into the upper end of the casing 90 and receivesthe valve cage 93 of the ball foot valve 94. Y

The float 71 is illustrated as constructed in the manner described in myaforesaid co-pending application; Serial No. 602,348, led March 31,1932, to which reference may be made for details thereof.

From the exhaust passage 26 in the upper plug 18 (Fig. 5) leads a pipe26a which, like pipe 59a, is'preferably extended a considerable distanceabove the particular pumping unit, as for example 100 feet, and isprovided thereat with a valve housing 1375 containing a valve 137C whichopens when the pressure within the exhaust pipe 26a' exceeds thepressure prevailing `in the well casing, and closes'` when the pressuresreach a substantial balance.

The valve housing 125 in the upper plug 18 is provided with a nipplepiece 130, and has within it the guide 138 for thev stem of a valve 126which seats itself against the lower surface of the valve housing 125,and is held normally in closed position by a spring 127 whose eilect maybe regulated by an adjusting nut 129. Normally,

the spring tension may be kept at such a point that the valve will onlyopen when the pressure within the branch air pipe 13 is of the order offifty pounds greater than the pressure within the pumping cylinder.

In the form shown in the drawing, the branch air tube 13'is extendedthrough the connection 116, andy the latter is packed with respectthereto by the pack gland 119 at the lower end of this branch connection116. Surrounding the portion of the tube 13 which extends above thebranch connection is a threaded bushing 124 which at its upper end has afurther packing 120 for preventing the escape of air from the air line.The upper end of pipe 13 is closed by a cap 121. The branch air pipe 13is provided with apertures 122 at the point o` the enlarged passage 117within the branch connection so that air may ow freely from the air line10 into the branch air pipe 13. Surrounding these apertures, within thepassage 117, is a screen 123 intended to retain any rust or scale,present in the pipe 10, from access to the pumping system. This screenmay be removed by separating the bushing 124 from the branch connection116. By this arrangement, the air pressure within the branch pipe 13 istransmitted to the cap 121, and operates in tension on the pipe 13itself, so that no reaction strain is thus imposed upon the connection116 and the main air line 10.

The operation of such a pumping unit is controlled by thefpresence ofthe liquid therein, 'and hence a description of the operation of oneunit in liquid, as for example when the Well has been and the inletvalve45 is open.

standing., or there is so great a flow'of liquidV thereinto that ahighlevel is reached, and that the pumping unit is substantially free ofliquid,

the successive phases of operation are as'follows':

Since the lunit'is empty of liquid,the bucket 74 andthe Aioat '71 are-intheir lower positions. The Valve body 51 has just Amovedjto its extremecounterclockwise position and space 50 is in communication with port 55,and port 56 is in communication with port 57. VThe piston 36 is'inraised position,`the exhaust valve 32 is closed,

Air from the airrpipe 10 k'passes to the branch pipe 13 and is yet beingadmitted past, the spring v alve 126 and the-inlet valve 45 to theinterior ofthe pump cylinder. n 51 which has vjust been accomplished bythe bucket' 74, under the assumptionsmade, has established communicationso that air may now ow fromthe nipple piece 13()V by` conduit 61 tolspace 50 and thus to the upper end of the cylinder 35, while the spaceat the lower'end of the cylinder is permitted to exhaust through thepipe 57a and port 57, port 56 and pipes 59, 59a and the valve Y137 to avpoint where the Vstatic liquid pressure in the well is say fty poundsless per square inch thanat the pumping unit itself.

Hence an energetic movement of the'piston 36 is occasioned which closesthe inlet valve '45 and opens the exhaust valve 32. The air pressure inpipe 10 however, is continued upon' the piston 36'. The piston 36 movesdownward and'rocks lever 39 so that the pull rod 65 causes a reversal ofthe position of the inlet valve 45 and the exhaust valve 32. Theadmission of air from pipe 10 into the casing 19 is shut orhzand the airinV this casing is now permitted to exhaust into passage 26, and by pipe26a and valve'137c is discharged into the well at a point 'where thevstatic liquid pressure is say fty pounds less than atr the pumpingcylinder.

Owing to this static pressure of theliquid in the well, the liquidVpasses through the strainer 172 into the interior of the cylinder andservesY to expel this air, if the unitbe located at the bottom of thewell, or operates byreducing the lifting heads in lower units, so-thatliquid en` ters if it be located as an intermediate or upper unit in achain. This entering liquid passes `the foot valve 94 and rises in theunit. As it rises along the length of the bucket 74 the'latter is raisedby spring E12-and the lower lever 69 is thus freed. Ultimately, the`liquid raises the float 71 and actuates the'lever flandthereforereverses the valve v5l, the arm 52a and'link 103 cooperating bymeans of springv 101, byv a toggle action to moveV thefvalve quicklyfanddefinitely to 'its end position.

The valve body 5l'is now in its clockwisemoved position, andk air fromthe branchair pipe` 13 may pass through conduit 61 to space 59 and thusto port'l and' by pipe `57a to the lower end of cylinder 35.Vlt'xliiaust occurs from the upper end of cylinder 35 through port 55,'lport 56 and pipes 59, 59a, and again to a pointf'wlfiere` the staticliquid pressure is less than at the particular unit. Thepiston 36 moves.upward and therewith closes the exhaust valve 32 and opens the inletvalve 45,' this operation occurringeasily since the pressure within thecylindervcorresponds to a static liquid pressure which inthe illustratedcase is fifty pounds less than that prevailingr atv the cylinden andlthe irstmovementA of the valve establishes communica-V` tion from theinterior of the pumping unit to lThe movement of valveV thevalve12d-which is-ex'posed to-substantially the pressurenfferential'corresponding' to the seating of spring 12'7,i.e.falthough the pressurein pipe I10 maybeA 290 pounds per square inch',

yet by exhausting the vair from pipe 25a at a` point 100 feet higherthan the unit- (i. e. apressure difference of approximately ft'y poundsper square inch), thek admissionV of air past valve" 126 at a pressureof 15G pounds per square inch is yetk 'ftypounds greater'tnanthepressure of liquid outside of the unit: or an effective pres-f sure,withrespect to the liquid if for example the'unit be at the bottom ofthe well, of` 200 pounds per square inch. f

The entering air 'operates as a pneumatic piston uponV theliquid'contained within the purnp- Y ing`v unit to expel it past theValve into the pipelS and thus .to the next upper unit orto thedischarge pipe 11. lAs the liquid level drops, the float 71 isVpermitted to seat itself upon a buffer 81a of' bracket 81: andnally thebucket '74, by reason of its weight owing to the presence of liquidtherein, descends and actuates the lever 69 to again reverse theposition of the valve body 51. I 1 I The parts are now returned to thefirst assumed position, and the action is continued so long as the airis supplied into pipe :line loand liquid is drawn from the Wellanddischarged The aforesaid connection of 59 and-26 to the extension pipes59d and 26a is of'partic'ular advantage when the level is higher thantwo of the pumps, as airpressue diiierences are thereby established, inconjunctionl the exhaust lines with the spring valve 12.6 whichpermitsthe conf tinued operation of the system without the pas-V sage of -airinto a lower unit, through the outlet valve 85 thereof, giving risetothe establishment of a column of air and liquid within the connectingpipe 27, and ultimately producing Va very.

volatile and inflammable mixture at the casing head of an oil well, andalso liable to foam and cause damage when admitted into the next higherunit. Although this diioulty usually arises only when thecolumn ofliquid in the well casing is substantiallyV at the same height as one ofthe units, yet it is found that the'V present structure made therein,without departing from the scope of' the appended claims. Y

VHaving thus described theinvention, what n claim as new and .desire'tosecure by Letters Patent,'is: i

' 1. In a pneumatically actuated pump adapted to be immersed in theliquid ina fwell, a casing, L,

a compressed fluid line, a liquid line opening into the casing adjacentits bottom and extending upwardly from the'casing, an exhaust lineextending upwardly from the-casing and open at a point in the wellliquidV above the casing so that the baol:

pressure in the'exhaust line is less than the liquid pressure around thecasing-a valve for closing the exhaust` line adjacent its upper end,valve means for alternately opening communication between said casingand air line and between tra 2. Apump as in claim l including anautomatic pressure reducing valve between said uid line and the casing,and in which said pneumatically actuated means is placed by saidcontrolled means directly in communication with said fluid linesindependently or said pressure reducing valve.

3. A pump as in claim lincluding means whereby the pneumaticallyactuated means exhausts to a point above the casing whereby adifferential between the hydrostatic pressure existing in the liquid atthe casing and at the exhaust discharge point assures the actuation ofsaid pneumatically actuated means.

e. In a pneumatically actuated pump, a casing having an upper head, acompressed fluid line extending through the casing and assisting insupporting the same, a branch piece on said fluid line, a branch airtube extending from said upper head through said branch piece and closedwith respect thereto and closed at its upper end, said tube having portsin its walls within said branch connection so that iiuid may pass fromthe fluid line into said branch tube, whereby fluid pressure within saidbranch tube is transmitted solely to said tube and does not produce areaction upon said branch piece.

5.V A pneumatically actuated pump system comprising a plurality ofvertically spaced pump- Ving units, and valved conduits for connectingthe same in cascade, in whichat least two lower units may be submergedin a liquid to be pumped, a compressed fluid line, a branch connectionfrom each unit to said fluid line, each of said submerged unitsincluding a pressure retaining valve located in said branch connectionthereof, an exhaust pipe extending from the unit to a point thereabovewhere the hydrostatic pressure is lower when the unit is submerged,valve means for alternately placing the casing in communication with theiiuid pressure branch connection and with the exhaust pipe, and meanscontrolled by the liquid level in said casing for moving said Valvemeans.

6. In a pneumatically actuated pump for operation in a well, a casing, acompressed fluid line and a liquid delivery line mechanically connectedto the pump whereby to support the same, said liquid delivery linecommunicating with the interior of the casing adjacent its bottom, aliquid admission conduit opening into the casing and a valve for closingthe same, a branch tap on said compressed fluid line, a pipe extendingthrough said tap and communicating at one end with the interior of saidcasing and being closed at its opposite end and communicating at. saidtap with said compressed uid line whereby balanced axial pressures insaid pipe relieve the cornpressed fluid line of strain therefrom, anddevices controlled by the liquid level in said casing Afor controllingthe flow of fluid from said pipe into said;v casing and release of fluidfrom the interior to the exterior of said casing.

'7. In a pneumatically actuated pump, a casing having upper and lowerheads, a compressed air line connected to the upper head, a liquiddelivery line passing through the upper head and opening into the casingadjacent its bottom, an inlet Valve to admit air from said air line intosaid casing, an exhaust valve to permit the escape of air from saidcasing, a liquidfadmission conduit opening into the casing and a valvefor closing the same, a double acting piston and cylinder assembly,means actuated by said piston to move said inlet and exhaust valves, avalve for controlling the passage of air from said air line-selectivelyto the ends of said cylinder and from said cylinder to the outside ofthe casing, means operated by high and low levels of liquid in saidcasing to operate said control valve and including a lever arm, and aspring to move said arm toward its end positions and in which power isstored when said arm is moved from an end position. e

8. In a pneumatically actuated pump, a casing having upper and lowerheads, a compressed air line connected to the upper head, a liquiddelivery line passing through the upper head and opening into the casingadjacent its bottom, an inlet valve to admit air from said air line intosaid casing, an exhaust valve to permit the escape of air from saidcasing, a liquid admission conduit opening into the casing and a valvefor closing the same, means including an air pressure operated devicefor actuating said inlet and exhaust valves, a valve for controlling theadmission of air to and release of air fromr said air operated means,means including a link for moving said control valve, a iioat and abucket for moving said link in opposite directions and operatedaccording to the liquid level in said casing, anda suspension springsupported in said casing at its upper end and extending downward in saidbucket and connected at its lower end to said bucket for balancing theWeightvthereof when said casing contains liquid at a level above theupper end of said bucket.

9. Ina pneumatically actuated pump, a casing having upper and lowerheads, a compressed air line connected to the upper head, a liquiddelivery line passing through the upper head and opening into the casingadjacent its bottom, an inletvalve to admit air from said air line intosaid casing, an exhaust valve to permit the escape of air from' saidcasing, a liquid admission conduit opening into the casing and a valvefor closing the same, means including an air pressure operated devicefor actuating said inlet and exhaust Valves, a valve for controlling theadmission of air to Vand release of air from said air operated means, alever-for operating said control Valve, a link pivotally connected tosaid lever and extending downward in said casing, upper and lower leversmounted on xed pivots within said casing and pivotally connected to saidlink, a loatfor rocking the upper lever upwardly when a predeterminedupper liquid level has been established in said casing, and a weightedbucket for rocking said lower lever downwardly when a predeterminedlower liquid level has been produced-in said casing, whereby said linkis moved in opposite directions by said iioat and said bucket.v

10. In a pneumatically actuated pump, a casing having upper and lowerheads, a compressed air line connected to the upper head, a liquiddelivery line passing through the upper head and opening into the casingadjacent its bottom, an inlet valve to admit air from said air line intosaid casing, an exhaust valve to permit the escape of air from saidcasing, a liquid admission conduit opening into the casing and a valvefor operated means selectively as it occupies end po.

closing the same, means including an air pressure operated device foractuating said inlet and exhaust valves, a valve for controlling theadmisJ sion of air to and release of air from said air operated means, alever connected to said control valve to move the same, stop devices tolimit the movement of said lever, a link pivotally connected to saidlever and spring means engaging said link for urging said lever fromcentral toward its end positions, one said stop limitingr the movementof the lever in one direction from central position to a rst endposition to a less distance than the movement of the lever to its otherend position, a iioat and a Weight in said casing and means whereby saidfloat and Weight move said lever in opposite directions, vthe oatserving to move the lever from the iirst end position.

1l. In a pneumatically actuated pump, a casing, a compressed air line,aV liquid delivery line opening into the casing adjacent its bottom, an

"inlet valve to admit air from said air line into said casing, anexhaust `valve to permit the escape of air from said casing, a liquidadmission conduit opening into the casing and a valve for clossitions,means operated in accordance with the liquid level in said casing formoving said valve means, and devices for rapidly moving said valve meansfrom central to one endposition when said means has been moved by saidliquid level means away fromV the other end position.

12. In a pneumatically actuated pump, a casing, a compressed air line,`a liquid delivery line opening into the casing adjacent its bottom, an

inlet valve to admit air from said air line into I said casing, anAexhaust valve to permit the escape of air from said casing, aliquidadmission conduit opening into the casing and a valve for closingthe same, means including an air-pressure operated device for actuatingsaid inlet and exhaust valves, valve means for controlling the admissionof air to and release of air from said air operated means selectively asit occupies end positions, spring means for holding said valve means inend position, and means operated in accordance With the liquid level insaid casing for moving said valve means against the operation of saidspring means from end position into a central position, said springmeans thereafter operating to move said valve means into the other endposition.

CHARLES A. BUTLER.

